More problems of being a Muslim in a non-Muslim community are in schools. There are 4 main areas that could cause a problem in schools.
One of these is dress code. The school uniform could pose a problem especially in P.E as Muslims consider that girls should wear tracksuits for P.E. They also believe that girls and boys should be educated separately as soon as they begin to develop sexually but schools are very unlikely to do this as this would mean more teachers would be needed to teach therefore increasing the number of rooms needed and text books all costing more.
Another problem of a Muslim in a non-Muslim community is lessons at school. Secondary boys should go to the Mosque on a Friday afternoon, which may result in them missing lessons before or after lunch. The main subject that is often hard to teach is religious education. Muslims do no approve of R.E teachers who have no faith themselves, regard Muslims as non-believers or try to convert them to Christianity. They also disagree with teachers who believe that all religions are equal. Many of these topics could cause a lot of controversy in the classroom therefore Muslims attending less of R.E lessons or only parts in which they approve of. In religious Education the bible is brought up numerous times and bible material. Many of the accounts in the bible are interpreted differently for a Muslim e.g. the sacrifice of Ishma’il rather than Isaac. Also when Islam religion arises, it may be taught inaccurately or with prejudice in which the teacher has a different opinion that the Muslim because of their own religion or insufficient knowledge of theirs. Muslims are expected to take part in school worship because they will not pray to Jesus’ name or to Jesus. Towards festivals such as Easter and Christmas they will be left out of the preparations. This would be difficult as it is likely the whole school will take part in this causing Muslims to re-arrange something else to occupy themselves.
Another aspect that Muslims face is during Ramadan. This may be one of the hardest times for a Muslim as the majority of people around them will be eating and as they are not allowed to eat during daylight hours there is a lot of temptation being less. Ramadan can also relate to work and schools as in not having enough energy to complete a task well therefore mistakes being made. If they feel sick or dizzy, then concentrating at work or on lessons may prove to be difficult. P.E at school would be restricting, as they will have little energy nevertheless when Muslims are allowed to eat at night many find it hard. Most teachers may understand if a Muslim child is bad-tempered, impatient, light-headed or giggly during a lesson but will not tolerate high amplitudes of this, as they will disturb other pupils around them.
Because we live in a secular society Muslims may be shocked at how some festivals are celebrated e.g. Christmas i.e. tree, tinsel, items that have no meaning may feel that Christianity is almost a decorative purpose more than a valued one. Many people are atheists and believe there is no god however still celebrate festivals which bring little meaning to their lives. Furthermore what Muslims see on TV must bewilder them as a minority of programmes often vilify ideas about God, Jesus and prophets and make insulting comments about religion in general.
Since the number of Muslims in Britain has increased, so has the barrier to our language. Today there are so many Muslims that speak English, that this has become their first language. People in Britain have generally become more accepting of Muslims in our country and less discrimination is now apparent. With so many religions in Britain, the country is now multicultural and the people more settled. It is not heard anymore of people going home one day as they associate here with home
One of the greatest problems with young Muslims living in Britain is that they might find it difficult to stay faithful to their religion and give up. It is said that many of our ideas and behaviour are caused by the environment we live in. The people around us often influence our decisions, wrong or right. If a young Muslim alls into a bad crowd then they are unlikely to get the support needed to carry on their faith. Many teenagers drink alcohol however this is not allowed in Islam. A teenage Muslim may follow the crowd in drinking alcohol therefore being disloyal to their faith.
Another problem that Muslims face in Britain is medical treatment. It is not thought right for a Muslim woman or girl to be examined by a male doctor and vice versa. The only major problem comes when a Muslim is seriously ill or dies, then they do not have a choice of doctor.
In conclusion I think it is possible for a Muslim to live in Britain although there are more negative points than positive ones. However, living their lives here may be a problem because of the things mentioned. A Muslim may find it hard to live in a non-Muslim society especially when there is little support from the community. On the other hand this may strengthen their religion because of challenges in the way and their strong faith in their religion.